Baldwin Response

Annotation

• “The paradox of education is precisely this – that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated. The purpose of education, finally, is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions, to say to himself this is black or this is white, to decide for himself whether there is a God in heaven or not. To ask questions of the universe, and then learn to live with those questions, is the way he achieves his own identity. But no society is really anxious to have that kind of person around.” Through education one finds their identity outside of societal norms. Education gives people the ability to look at the world through their own eyes without influence deciding what is right and wrong.

• “That any Negro who is born in this country and undergoes the American educational system runs the risk of becoming schizophrenic. On the one hand he is born in the shadow of the stars and stripes and he is assured it represents a nation which has never lost a war. He pledges allegiance to that flag which guarantees “liberty and justice for all.” He is part of a country in which anyone can become president, and so forth. But on the other hand he is also assured by his country and his countrymen that he has never contributed anything to civilization – that his past is nothing more than a record of humiliations gladly endured. He is assumed by the republic that he, his father, his mother, and his ancestors were happy, shiftless, watermelon-eating darkies who loved Mr. Charlie and Miss Ann, that the value he has as a black man is proven by one thing only – his devotion to white people.” Baldwin’s idea that any African American who undergoes the American educational system runs the risk of becoming schizophrenic is very interesting. He is saying that without knowing one’s true history makes you out of touch with reality since you don’t know who you are, just who you were told you are. I found his analogy about the life of an African American very interesting but true. How can one fight for a country that does not see you much less appreciate you?

• “He can more or less accept it with an absolutely inarticulate and dangerous rage inside – all the more dangerous because it is never expressed. It is precisely those silent people whom white people see every day of their lives – I mean your porter and your maid, who never say anything more than “Yes Sir” and “No, Ma’am.” They will tell you it’s raining if that is what you want to hear, and they will tell you the sun is shining if that is what you want to hear. They really hate you – really hate you because in their eyes (and they’re right) you stand between them and life. I want to come back to that in a moment. It is the most sinister of the facts, I think, which we now face.” I have seen this depicted in lots of movies where African Americans are maids or house helps. They would always tell their employer what they wanted to hear no matter how false it might be. This bubble feeling leads to a very deep resentment towards their employer. Maybe it is our way of fighting the power structure on a somewhat even battlefield.

• “Therefor it is almost impossible for any Negro child to discover anything about his actual history. The reason is that this “animal,” once he suspects his own worth, once he starts believing that he is a man, has begun to attack the entire power structure.” To attack the power structure, African Americans must first know their worth and know that they are more than what they are depicted to be. This might be difficult since in school we are only taught about slavery as if we did not have a life per slavery. As if before slavery we did not exist.

• In order for me to live, I decided very early that some mistake had been made somewhere. I was not a “nigger” even though you called me one. But if I was a “nigger” in your eyes, there was something about you – there was something you needed. I had to realize when I was very young that I was none of those things I was told I was. I was not, for example, happy. I never touched a watermelon for all kinds of reasons that had been invented by white people, and I knew enough about life by this time to understand that whatever you invent, whatever you project, is you! So where we are no is that a whole country of people believe I’m a “nigger,” and I don’t , and the battle’s on! Because if I am not what I’ve been told I am, then it means that you’re not what you thought you were either! And that is the crisis. Baldwin’s article addresses some important questions about the history of African Americans. He talks about self-awareness and the effects it has on one’s self-perception. He then when on to question the White American history that portrays African Americans as “niggers” when in fact that’s the opposite of who we are, that just what they fooled themselves into thinking we are. He then went on to challenge the credibility of American history by stating “Because if I am not what I’ve been told I am, then it means that you’re not what you thought you were either! And that is the crisis.”

Overall, Baldwin’s article was highly informative and eye-opening. When he states that “the world is larger” he is talking about one’s perspective. It is no secret that one’s perspective is shaped by their environment, parents/family, and society. There will always be differing perspectives, it all depends on what side of history you are standing on. The opinions of those oppressed will always differ from their oppressors. Your perspective of the world is not the only one there is, someone in a different part of the world that was subjected to different life experiences might have a distinct perspective than you. We must examine all the different perspectives in the world and decide for ourselves what is right or true in our eyes. Moreover, Baldwin states “The purpose of education, finally, is to create in a person the ability to look at the world for himself, to make his own decisions, to say to himself this is black or this is white, to decide for himself whether there is a God in heaven or not. To ask questions of the universe, and then learn to live with those questions, is the way he achieves his own identity. But no society is really anxious to have that kind of person around.” Asking questions of the universe for yourself is the only way to discover one’s identity. Understanding that the world has different perspectives is key to seeing the world for what it truly is hence “the world is larger.” However, some of the obligations I wished I learned about in school are African American history per slavery and outside of American history and basic adulting tools. When I say basic adulting tools I mean how to do taxes, budget, learn about the housing process, and the loan process, etcetera. Also, how to deal with our emotions and mental health. Just how to be a functional person in society. The other thing I wish I learned was true African American history. In school, the focus of learning African American history is slavery as if we did not exist before slavery. I have always wanted to what our life was like before slavery. “What we did for a living” and “What was our world view.” These were all questions I had but never got the answer to.